A UNIT for people with mental health problems has given an assurance that it would not take patients who pose a risk to people in the community.

The pledge from management at Woodhaven, which is run by the West Hampshire NHS Trust on the Tatchbury Mount complex west of Totton, follows an incident which started late on Sunday and lasted into the early hours of yesterday when a patient walked out of the unit and into the nearby road.

Nearby resident Brian Johnson said: "We heard someone hollering at the top of their voice and thought it was drunks coming home from the pub.

"As it went on, we thought someone was getting hurt and we noticed people opening windows in the hospital reception area and people began coming up the road from the hospital.

"But the final scenario came when two police cars came up the road and they seemed to shepherd the chap back into the hospital. We were a lot more at ease when we saw the police on the scene. That was the point where we felt everything was all right again."

Before Woodhaven opened, residents expressed their concerns over the possibility of people escaping from a secure unit, but the man involved in yesterday's incident was believed to be in the process of being admitted.

"If that is the genuine answer, I am happier that I would have been if it was a question of someone getting out," he said.

A spokesman for the West Hampshire NHS Trust explained: "Woodhaven is a purpose-built in-patient unit for people in the New Forest who suffer mental health problems.

"People are admitted to Woodhaven if they need extra short-term care and support to help them with their mental illness.

"The unit is not designed for the more serious category of patients who require medium to high levels of security and could be considered a danger to the general public.

"One in four people will suffer a mental health problem this year, which equates to approximately 45,500 of the New Forest's 182,000 residents. This flagship facility is only one of its kind in the area and is providing a valuable service to the people of the New Forest."

A Hampshire police spokesman confirmed that a call was received regarding a patient who was being admitted and added: "When we arrived, the staff were in the process of getting him back into the hospital and it was resolved quickly and peacefully."